Results 7,081-7,100 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen
- Social Insurance. (31 Oct 2007)
Martin Cullen: I am not sure whether the Deputy is making a pronouncement on a new Fine Gael policy to increase the payments of individuals.
- Social Insurance. (31 Oct 2007)
Martin Cullen: That is what the Deputy seems to be suggesting.
- Social Insurance. (31 Oct 2007)
Martin Cullen: That is what the Deputy seems to be suggesting. The fund is only one aspect of how we finance all pensions.
- Social Insurance. (31 Oct 2007)
Martin Cullen: I know that and I already answered the question at the start. The programme for Government sets out what we are doing. In parallel with that, there is a major debate on pensions which must be resolved. The Exchequer has always been the residual funder of the social insurance fund. It was so for 40 years.
- Social Insurance. (31 Oct 2007)
Martin Cullen: We do not have a magical way to increase that fund, unless the Deputy wants to increase everybody's contributions.
- Social Insurance. (31 Oct 2007)
Martin Cullen: The balance will be struck between what is in the fund, when the deficit will run out and what the Exchequer responsibility will be in making the commitments that are there. Let us be clear that all pensions are secure for the next number of years.
- Anti-Poverty Strategy. (31 Oct 2007)
Martin Cullen: The reduction and eventual elimination of child poverty is a national priority and is at the core of the strategic process to combat poverty and social exclusion as set out in Towards 2016, the national action plan for social inclusion, NAPinclusion, and the social inclusion commitments in the NDP. One of the 12 high-level goals set out in the NAPinclusion focuses on achieving significant...
- Anti-Poverty Strategy. (31 Oct 2007)
Martin Cullen: I do not accept that little progress has been made. In recent years, the investment in child benefit and direct funding to children in families has been phenomenal and bears no relation to the position in previous years. In the discussions with the social partners, those involved with the relevant agencies wanted much of the available resources to be targeted specifically at families in...
- Anti-Poverty Strategy. (31 Oct 2007)
Martin Cullen: I am committed to more than that. I am committed to a huge range of improvements, particularly for the less well off in society, including direct support for children.
- Anti-Poverty Strategy. (31 Oct 2007)
Martin Cullen: The Deputy is trying to force me to give a figure in advance of the budget, which she knows I cannot and will not do. She will have to wait for the budget to see what the figure will be when the process is completed.
- Anti-Poverty Strategy. (31 Oct 2007)
Martin Cullen: The National Anti-Poverty Strategy target set in 2002 was to reduce the numbers of those who are consistently poor, including children, to 2% by 2007 and, if possible, to eliminate consistent poverty as then defined. Survey information produced by the ESRI showed that the level of consistent poverty had steadily fallen from 8.3% in 1994 to 4.1% in 2001. The Government considered that...
- Anti-Poverty Strategy. (31 Oct 2007)
Martin Cullen: On the last point, the Department of Social and Family Affairs is probably the best at informing people and produces a range of information packs and works carefully with its customers.
- Anti-Poverty Strategy. (31 Oct 2007)
Martin Cullen: That is acknowledged generally throughout society. In terms of trying to get to individual families and deal with them, the Department does that daily. The National Action Plan for Social Inclusion, 2007 â 2016, set out to do that. I gave Deputy Shortall the figures. The object of the plan is to reduce consistent poverty to between 2% and 4% by 2012, with the aim of eliminating it...
- Anti-Poverty Strategy. (31 Oct 2007)
Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 63, 75 and 101 together. The reduction and eventual elimination of child poverty is a national priority and at the very core of the strategic process to combat poverty and social exclusion, as set out in Towards 2016, the NAPinclusion, and the social inclusion commitments in the NDP. One of the 12 high level goals set out in the NAPinclusion focuses on...
- Anti-Poverty Strategy. (31 Oct 2007)
Martin Cullen: The Leas-Cheann Comhairle is being hard on me.
- Anti-Poverty Strategy. (31 Oct 2007)
Martin Cullen: Deputy Shortall is correct to some degree regarding the family income supplement and the other payments in that there is a myriad of payments. I think the question the Deputy is trying to ask is how one can amalgamate the payments to get the best from them. The problem is that when one puts the figures together, one hits the barrier to what people are entitled on a means tested basis. In...
- Anti-Poverty Strategy. (31 Oct 2007)
Martin Cullen: I am answering the Deputy's question. I agreeââ
- Anti-Poverty Strategy. (31 Oct 2007)
Martin Cullen: As the Deputy well knows, one cannot just pick one payment in isolation from all the different payments that exist.
- Anti-Poverty Strategy. (31 Oct 2007)
Martin Cullen: That has been the curse of it.
- Anti-Poverty Strategy. (31 Oct 2007)
Martin Cullen: Ten minutes ago Deputy Shortall was suggesting the opposite to me. The Deputy is correct that one cannot look at these payments in isolation from each other. One has to look at them as a cohort of payments and examine how one can get the maximum benefit from them. I do not argue with that point. The Deputy is correct about access to public services. As much as any Deputy in the House, I...